Cindy Sheehan poses for a magazine at her camp on the side of the road leading to President Bush's ranch near Crawford, Texas, Monday, Aug. 15, 2005. Sheehan's vigil to meet with President Bush is entering its' second week. Shehanwhose son CAsey died in Iraq said she will continue her anti-war demonstration for three more wee. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Cindy Sheehan, whose celebrated vigil for her dead son has won her international acclaim if not a meeting with the president, is now facing another challenge, this one at home.

Her husband, Patrick Sheehan, filed for divorce Friday in Solano County District Court, and he apparently wants to keep their house.

Sheehan, 48, entered her second week camping outside Bush's Crawford retreat, demanding answers from the president about why her 24-year-old son Casey, an Army specialist, had to die last year in Iraq.

In doing so, she has become not only the face of the U.S. antiwar movement but of the torment of mothers everywhere who have lost children to war.

The fact that Sheehan's pending divorce would attract media attention during her crusade outside President Bush's Texas ranch is perhaps a sign of her international celebrity. News of the divorce petition, which cites "irreconcilable differences" for the demise of the couple's 28-year marriage, spread quickly over the Internet, then over the wire services and out over the airwaves.

The chatter about it prompted the Sheehan camp to deny there was any truth to rumors or insinuations that the vigil and divorce were somehow connected.

"It's a private matter between her husband and herself, and it has nothing to do with what she is doing regarding Casey's death and her activism, " said a close aide to Sheehan, who asked not to be identified because she is not the official spokesperson. "As far as I know, the entire family, including Patrick, supports her commitment. They've been incredibly supportive of her."

Sheehan started Gold Star Families for Peace, a group of military families who want to end the war, after Casey's death and long before the couple, who were high school sweethearts, separated June 1.

Patrick Sheehan could not be reached for comment Monday, and his attorney, Glen DeRonde, did not return phone calls.

Cindy Sheehan, a 48-year-old Vacaville soccer mom, told friends and relatives that the stress of their son's death had led to the separation. The grief prompted her to take her activism straight to the commander in chief's doorstep -- or as close as she could get: She and a growing number of activists have been camping along the road leading toward the Bush retreat.

Besides their home and improvements to the property, Patrick Sheehan also asked for "any and all benefits payable as a result of son's death," including a Prudential insurance policy and "benefits from the U.S. government."

The couple have three surviving adult children.

Sheehan's celebrity is largely the result of widespread sympathy for her obvious pain over the loss of a child. Her tearful expressions of love for her son and poignant requests for an audience with the president have clearly touched a nerve and led to a backlash against her.

"When psychologists look at the biggest stressors in life, No. 1 on that list is the death of a child," said Sheehan's spokeswoman. "Cindy's grief was such that she came out virtually alone and slept on the side of the road. It has since become political, to the point that people would use a divorce against her. The whole notion that she has some massive left-wing conspiracy supporting her is just wrong."